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The Grand Medieval Bestiary: Animals in Illuminated Manuscripts

by Remy Cordonnier
Heck, Christian & . Abbeville. 2012. 620p. bibliog. illus. index. ISBN 9780789211279. $185. FINE ARTS
COPY ISBN
OrangeReviewStarThe splendor of and meanings behind medieval bestiaries are brought to life in this behemoth of a book from two keen-eyed French authors, Heck (senior member, Inst. Univ. de France) and Cordonnier (head, cultural heritage, Saint-Omer Lib., France). The enlarged images allow readers to see new depth and detail in familiar, favorite, and standard canon illuminations, as well as provide the opportunity to delight in images previously unseen. Several chapters are devoted to analysis, followed by presentation of 100 specific animals of medieval importance, some real, others mythic. The animals depicted are represented in daily life, heraldry, cosmology, fable, and allegory, and, according to the authors, define humans in relation to the world, to God, and to other living creatures.
VERDICT This volume will prove tremendously valuable to scholars, armchair art historians, and those with a passion for medieval art.
Reviewed by Nadine Dalton Speidel, Cuyahoga Cty. P.L., Parma, OH , Mar 15, 2013
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